The Size Of The Top League?

[andy500 463]

16 Teams, play each other twice = 30 games.

8 team split, play each other once = 37 games, if you want to play each other twice again then you could have 44 games, which is less than the English Championship still.

You'd still likely get at least 3 or 4 old firm games for TV - but it gives the league more teams, as the people want.

To further that, you could have the exact same setup in a single league below (We have 32 league teams, so 16 and 16 works) - with the teams battling for promotion (2 solid spots one play off?) - and the lower half teams going down in a pyramid system.

It's worth a try. People have been moaning about the current format for years.

[Wawrinka 88]

More than 40 games in a season won't happen. Overkill. Playing teams 3 times won't happen either as you can't have 2 Old Firm games at one stadium and just 1 at the other.

[falwheel 222]

A top league of two teams to include Rangers and them who play each other 52 times a season. The diddy teams can fanny about in other leagues playing for fuck all. Bumper payment from Sky to broadcast every top tier game to be played at 9pm every Friday. Both teams in the top tier to qualify for Champions League.

[Jack The Flipper 5,936]

fuck it, 40 teams

[TheBluenose1972 1,405]

We should have the top 2 leagues being 16 and a 3rd league being the rest of the teams! It's diabolical our leagues are still so small.

[OlegKuznetsov 10,816]

A lot of people have been talking about this subject recently, but we're just after another switch.

The 4 OF games are all that Scotland really has to market, as the TV viewing figures prove.

The fans want 16, but not if it benefits Rangers.

This season, it looks like it makes sense, with Hearts, Hibs and us in the Championship and Falkirk, QOTS and even Raith putting up a decent showing, but that could change swiftly as the we along with the Edinburgh clubs get up to the top tier.

Then we'd be back to thinking that 16 or 18 was just too much and too boring, which would lead to a clamour a top ten again, after a few years.

[Gaffbear 4,096]

Minimum 16 imo

[Jack The Flipper 5,936]

A lot of people have been talking about this subject recently, but we're just after another switch.

The 4 OF games are all that Scotland really has to market, as the TV viewing figures prove.

The fans want 16, but not if it benefits Rangers.

This season, it looks like it makes sense, with Hearts, Hibs and us in the Championship and Falkirk, QOTS and even Raith putting up a decent showing, but that could change swiftly as the we along with the Edinburgh clubs get up to the top tier.

Then we'd be back to thinking that 16 or 18 was just too much and too boring, which would lead to a clamour a top ten again, after a few years.

The 4 old firm games are the sticking point, we don't want to reduce them, neither does anyone else due to the revenues.

Frankly I wouldn't mind playing the filth twice in a season to make the league more interesting, but I doubt many would agree.

[AldoKrfc 106]

fuck it, 40 teams

Could be wrong here but I think the argentina premier league has 30 teams in it as they are undergoing re-construction lol

[there'sonlyoneamoruso 1,724]

16 Teams, play each other twice = 30 games.

That's perfect. Why mess about with it?

Revamp the league cup if teams want more games, but for me, less is more in the league.

[Jack The Flipper 5,936]

Could be wrong here but I think the argentina premier league has 30 teams in it as they are undergoing re-construction lol

That's mental

[geronimoo 1,474]

Top League of 16 or 18 just because it will piss them off and the Timplosion will be the funniest yet.

[Wearethepeople72 1,845]

16 would be the right number IMO.

Can't see it ever happening though as they will not want to reduce the number of OF games in a season.

[Turnberry18 3,204]

18. The object of a proper league is to play each other once at home and once away, and then find out who is the best. To play a team 4 times a season is not ideal.

[sergio 1,199]

It wont happen, certainly not this coming season, 18 would be great but only play 2 OF games, wont happen ever.

[GOAT 30,449]

Ignoring th fact there is far too many clubs in Scottish football for the size of the country, I'd split the 42 clubs into two leagues. A premiership of 18 and a championship of 24.

The premiership, the teams that finish 18th and 17th, automatically go down. The team that finishes 16th enters the play offs with the teams that finish 3rd, 4th and 5th in the championship. The team that finishes third plays the team that finishes 5th and the premierships 16th team plays the championships 4th place team, then the winners meet in a one legged final at Hampden or a stadium of the SPFL's choice.

There is no ridiculous split and everyone plays the same amount of games home or away. Also European qualification should go to the leagues strongest teams, it's a joke that next season Falkirk will probably be representing Scotland in European football. Take away the Europa league qualification from the Scottish Cup winners/finalists and give it to the league. 1st gets the CL spot, 2nd, 3rd and 4th get the Europa league spots.

The league cup should be completely overhauled. Start the early rounds in a regionalised league system, i.e. so many leagues of four or five teams, the top two or three of the clubs (depending on size of the league) qualify for the knock out stages. This keeps sky happy because they will still get their four OF games, but also it guarantees more derbies, and keeps the fans happy aswell, when else are Killie going to play Ayr? It guarantees derbies in Scotland every season no matter what league they play in. Start the first few round of fixtures in early to mid July, to get the teams in Europe match fit for the qualifiers. Thus, raising the co-ifficent. The next round of fixtures get played in November, and the knock out stages get played after the new year, with the final in March as normal.

Keep the Scottish Cup the way it is.

Have a winter break.

Get things to keep the fans involved, safe standing, remove the booze ban, cheaper tickets etc.

Sorted.

[Young Bob 1,360]

Ignoring th fact there is far too many clubs in Scottish football for the size of the country, I'd split the 42 clubs into two leagues. A premiership of 18 and a championship of 24.

The premiership, the teams that finish 18th and 17th, automatically go down. The team that finishes 16th enters the play offs with the teams that finish 3rd, 4th and 5th in the championship. The team that finishes third plays the team that finishes 5th and the premierships 16th team plays the championships 4th place team, then the winners meet in a one legged final at Hampden or a stadium of the SPFL's choice.

There is no ridiculous split and everyone plays the same amount of games home or away. Also European qualification should go to the leagues strongest teams, it's a joke that next season Falkirk will probably be representing Scotland in European football. Take away the Europa league qualification from the Scottish Cup winners/finalists and give it to the league. 1st gets the CL spot, 2nd, 3rd and 4th get the Europa league spots.

The league cup should be completely overhauled. Start the early rounds in a regionalised league system, i.e. so many leagues of four or five teams, the top two or three of the clubs (depending on size of the league) qualify for the knock out stages. This keeps sky happy because they will still get their four OF games, but also it guarantees more derbies, and keeps the fans happy aswell, when else are Killie going to play Ayr? It guarantees derbies in Scotland every season no matter what league they play in. Start the first few round of fixtures in early to mid July, to get the teams in Europe match fit for the qualifiers. Thus, raising the co-ifficent. The next round of fixtures get played in November, and the knock out stages get played after the new year, with the final in March as normal.

Keep the Scottish Cup the way it is.

Have a winter break.

Get things to keep the fans involved, safe standing, remove the booze ban, cheaper tickets etc.

Sorted.

Well thought out. I would agree with all of that apart from the play-offs. This business where a team that finishes 5 th could get promoted is just plain wrong.

[Shuggy 1,308]

16 team league and expand play offs for relegation and europe ... starting next season by promoting the top 4 championship teams.

[ZZed 4,510]

18 top league, 20 bottom league, kick off in mid February and season ends November(better weather most of the year and TV focus in the summer). To be more exciting, we could change the point system to; no score draws equal no points, that means away teams have to come out to score to get any thing from the game. At the moment 11 man defences get rewarded with a point.

[harlands plater 16,975]

A top league of 16, a total of 30 games should be enough to keep it competitive at both ends. Two other divisions is plenty for the size of this place, and a straightforward two up and two down for promotion and relegation. If you finish second after playing every team home and away that should get you up, none of this fourth best team over the league campaign getting up because of a wee run of form in the playoffs.

[The Monk 3,207]

If they wanted to expand it, would they even be able to for next season or would it have to be a couple of years time?

[kris1984 1,259]

If they wanted to expand it, would they even be able to for next season or would it have to be a couple of years time?

i wouldn't want them to expand until we're back so there isn't any suggestions they done it to benefit us

[Shetland Bear 433]

A top league of 16, a total of 30 games should be enough to keep it competitive at both ends. Two other divisions is plenty for the size of this place, and a straightforward two up and two down for promotion and relegation. If you finish second after playing every team home and away that should get you up, none of this fourth best team over the league campaign getting up because of a wee run of form in the playoffs.

That's a good point I've never really thought about, suppose it's 8 less games for Rangers and Celtic to pull away will make it a good piece more competitive.

Should be top two tiers being 16 with two automatic relegation/promotion places between the two with 14th in top flight entering into a playoff with 3,4 and 5 in the second tier. After this the pyramid should be regionalised into North/South to save on costs.

If Sky are insistent on at least 4 OF games, then restructure the League Cup into Regional Groups guaranteeing two more Old Firm games. Since there are 8 less league games to play, the schedule should more than make up for this.

[loyalfollower 1,543]

Think we should just have league of 17 and play 32 games per season. This 4 times carry on is boring as then you have teams coming to ibrox for a draw and then we get shite football. Play each other twice would mean more teams going for it and as we've seen this year the championship teams can play good stuff.

[The Mongoose 1,007]

3 divisons of 20 teams

or 20 divisions of 3 teams......one of them being Sellick, East Stirling & Stirling Albion.........No Wait what am I saying?....Liewell might take that idea on board and the Sellick Might just do ten in a row!